Where are they now? Former Stars coach Ken Hitchcock

Ken Hitchcock knew the challenges of battling the Edmonton Oilers as well as anyone back in 1999.

A native son who grew up on the hockey-mad culture in Alberta, Hitchcock got a dose of humility when he took the Stars into the City of Champions in his rookie season as head coach and was dispatched in the first round of the 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs. He came back and won in 1998 en route to the Western Conference Final, so 1999 was a bit of a formality, but Hitchcock never looked at it that way.

"When you played that team, you played the entire city," Hitchcock told DallasStars.comwhen asked for his memories of the steps the Stars took to win the 1999 Cup (with games now being replayed on FOX Sports Southwest). "It really was an amazing challenge, and one that we had to learn to meet."

The Stars swept the Oilers in that first round best-of-seven, but every game was a one-goal game, including a triple overtime marathon in Game 4 at the then-Skyreach Centre.

"It didn't matter how well we played, and I really thought there were some games there where we played very well, we couldn't pull away from that team," Hitchcock said. "There were some great series up there, and some great times."

READ MORE: [FOX Sports Southwest to re-air Stars' run to 1999 Stanley Cup championship]

The times were especially good for Hitchcock, who worked as a hockey equipment salesman while turning Midget AAA Sherwood Park into a dynasty over a 10-year period in the suburbs of Edmonton. That led to jobs in the Western Hockey League and IHL, and eventually to the head coaching job with the Stars.

Hitchcock would go on to set the franchise record for coaching wins at 319 and currently sits third all-time in NHL history in coaching wins at 849. He stepped away from the Oilers' head coaching job after last season, but still is working as a senior advisor for Edmonton while living in Palm Springs, California. In the meantime, he is participating in several webinars to help teach and learn with other coaches as part of the NHL Coaches' Association mentorship program.

Hitchcock presented recently, but also said he just likes listening and absorbing new ideas. He said the webinars are great for discussing coaching techniques and strategies.

"I just think coaching is learning," he said. "You never stop, and I'm still as hungry as I have ever been. It's a great chance to keep your mind sharp."

Hitchcock has taken care of his body in recent years. He stepped away from the Stars after one season in 2017-18, and dedicated himself to losing weight before coming back as head coach of the Oilers in November of 2018. Since stepping down from the Oilers job, he has lost even more weight and increased his physical activity. While his golf course is closed, he walks a lot and hits drives in a nearby field to keep moving.

"I feel terrific," he said. "Everything is so much easier now, and to be able to walk the way I am, it's just a great feeling."

He said that not coaching is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, he misses the daily interaction and the daily challenge of putting together a game plan and getting a team moving in the right direction. On the other hand, he couldn't be dedicating this time to his physical and mental health if he was still behind the bench.

"You can't do what I'm doing right now if you were working in the coaching fraternity," he said. "So, to me, this has been really good for me personally, and it's also been good to try to help the coaches who are coming up now. It's actually helped me keep up with the new coaches and what they're thinking. These webcasts have helped me stay fresh, and I'm really grateful for that."

Hitchcock said he doesn't look back too much, but that he is aware of the FOX Sports Southwest project and is willing to talk about it and the 1999 playoffs. He said he hasn't watched many of the games from his past, but he has good memories of what happened.

"I think that loss in 1997 (to Edmonton) really spurred us on going forward, and the fact we played them every season really sort of brought that back for our players," Hitchcock said of the rivalry with the Oilers. "It was a jolt, and we responded in the right way. Those were such tough series, they really played hard, and we had to work for everything we got. I was proud that we were so composed with the game at one goal or tied. I think we really developed a steeliness on those teams, and a lot of that was because of playing teams like the Oilers."

Hitchcock now is trying to help the Oilers take the next step. He has two years remaining on his contract and is helping the front office prepare itself for the possible return of hockey. He's also helping the future coaches prepare themselves.

"I've realized now that I'm never not going to think of myself as a coach, and so that's how I'm trying to help the Oilers," he said. "I watched a lot of hockey this year, and I'm thankful to the Oilers to help with junior, AHL, NHL, whatever they need. I love working with Ken Holland and I think it's been good for me to be able to dip in and dip out."

"It's a little easier for me if I'm starting at 8 or so instead of 6:30," he said. "It eliminates the stress, it makes your daily routine a little more consistent, it allows you to do things like I'm doing right now. And that's been a good thing."

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.